Agenda #: 6.1
Meeting Date: May 20, 2025
TO: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
FROM: Daniel Fox, City Manager
TITLE: PUBLIC HEARING ON CITY VACANCIES AND RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION EFFORTS.
STRATEGIC
GOAL: Open, Engaged & Responsive Government
RECOMMENDATION:
Conduct a Public Hearing on City Vacancies and Recruitment and Retention Efforts.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
There is no direct fiscal impact associated with conducting the public hearing required under Government Code section 3205.3. However, addressing recruitment and retention issues may involve future budget and bargaining considerations, which will be presented to the City Council as necessary.
BACKGROUND:
Assembly Bill 2561 was introduced to address the issue of job vacancies in local government, which adversely affects the delivery of public services and employee workload. Among other requirements, the bill mandates that public agencies present the status of vacancies and recruitment and retention efforts during a public hearing before the agency’s governing body at least once per fiscal year. The bill was enacted into law and is codified at Government Code section 3502.3. The new law is effective January 1, 2025.
In compliance with the new legal obligations, the City is required to do the following:
1. Public Hearing: At least once each fiscal year, at a public hearing before the City Council, the City shall present information regarding the status of vacancies and recruitment and retention efforts (Gov. Code § 3502.3(a)(1)) and identify any necessary changes to policies, procedures, and recruitment activities that may lead to obstacles in the hiring process (Gov. Code § 3502.3(a)(3)).
This presentation must occur prior to the City Council’s adoption of the final annual budget for the City. (Gov. Code § 3502.3(a)(2).)
2. Employee Organization Participation: Allow the recognized employee organization at the City to make a presentation during the public hearing concerning vacancies and recruitment and retention efforts. (Gov. Code § 3502.3(b).)
ANALYSIS:
The City’s current 2024/25 fiscal year budget identifies a total of 67 full-time benefitted positions across six (6) departments. The six (6) City departments provide external and internal service in the areas of Administration (City Manager’s Office, City Clerk, Community Relations and Human Resources/Risk Management), Community Development, Finance, Information Systems, Parks and Recreation, and Public Works.
Between July 2024 – April 2025, the City had a total of 10 vacancies that were created by the addition of two (2) new positions, two (2) retirements, two (2) internal promotions and four (4) voluntary resignations for external promotional opportunities. The average vacancy rate during that same time period was 2.98%. Through April 2025, the City filled eight (8) out of the 10 vacant positions. The remaining two (2) vacancies are currently in the process of being filled.
The City also employs a number of part-time non-benefitted staff members that work on an intermittent or seasonal basis. These part-time positions are budgeted in a salary pool, filled based on operational and programmatic needs, and do not work more than 999 hours in a fiscal year. The City employs approximately 50-60 part-time nonbenefitted employees, depending on the time of year, in the following job classifications:
Administrative Intern, Recreation Leader, Senior Recreation Leader, Recreation Specialist and Facility Attendant. A total of nine (9) part-time non-benefitted employees have been hired between July 2024 – April 2025. Seasonal hiring efforts are underway to bring additional part-time non-benefitted Parks and Recreation department employees to staff the scheduled summer programs and events.
Since 2021, the City Council’s strategic plan has included an Employer of Choice initiative to support the recruitment and retention of high performing employees. There have been a number of investments made by the City Council to support this effort for both part-time and full-time employees. Some examples include:
• new hire and retention stipends as well as tuition reimbursement for part-time non-benefitted employees; and
• new positions and reclassifications for full-time employees.
Despite some of these investments, there are still some potential obstacles to the hiring process for full-time positions. They include an increased number of retirement eligible staff and competitive external job opportunities. In the future, the City can consider making changes to its existing Personnel Rules and Regulations, Rule IV Classification, Section 8. Flexible Staffing Program to broaden the number of eligible job classifications and to add a number of job classifications to better prepare for succession planning purposes. Both of these actions will allow the City to more flexibly move employees within a job series in an efficient and cost-effective manner that is likely to result in an increase of job knowledge transfer and retention of high-performing staff.
PREPARED BY:
REVIEWED BY: